Whitman’s Best Buddies club travelled to the Pick Your Own Pumpkins field at Butler’s Orchard on Oct.18 for its annual pumpkin patch trip. Carpools arrived around 10:15 a.m., and the event lasted until noon. 

The outing marks the first club gathering of the year outside of school and is one of the more anticipated events, according to Best Buddies Treasurer Emmie Rich. The club typically visits a local farm each fall, but this year’s organizers decided to try Butler’s Orchard instead.

Rich said the pumpkin patch event is important for fostering bonding and engagement among fellow students. 

“You get to experience fall together and everyone always looks forward to it,” Rich said. “We get to do activities that are different from normal.”

The Best Buddies program aims to educate people about intellectual and developmental disabilities, foster youth leadership and advocacy and promote friendship between students with and without disabilities. 

Parent Jessica Chambers, who attended with her daughter Eva, said she appreciated how welcoming the club was.

“I’ve been wanting to come for a while and seeing all the kids running everything is really impressive,” Chambers said. “It takes special people to really be able to see our kids and it always means a lot to me when I observe that.”

The orchard field featured pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, ranging from miniature green-striped cushaws to 300-pound Atlantic giants. In addition to picking pumpkins, attendees could buy seasonal products such as jam, caramels and apple cider at a Butler’s Orchard tent.

Before entering the patch, senior Zac Shalbi said he was most excited to spend time with friends and hoped to get pumpkins for some peers who couldn’t attend the event. He left with two pumpkins, took photos and spent time with his buddies. 

“I had a lot of fun and a great morning with all my friends,” Shalbi said. “The trip was awesome.”